NHL Grind Down: Sunday, February 28th - Page Two
Los Angeles Kings at Anaheim Ducks – 09:00 PM EST
| Los Angeles Kings | Anaheim Ducks | ||||||||
 |  | John Gibson | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 36-20-4 | 33-19-8 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.65 | 2.28 | 22.10% | 81.90% | Team Stats | 2.45 | 2.32 | 21.30% | 86.80% |
The headliner of the evening feature the two beasts of the Pacific Division. The Kings shutout the Buffalo Sabres last night and have now picked up wins in each of their last four games. Darryl Sutter has two very dangerous forward lines to throw at the Ducks tonight with Anze Kopitar centering Milan Lucic and Dustin Brown on the top line and Jeff Carter skating between Dwight King and Tyler Toffoli on the second line. Anze Kopitar has scored a goal and added three assists in the two prior meetings with Anaheim this season and leads the team with 52 points in 60 games. Toffoli remains relatively cheap across the industry and not only owns 45 points and a +26 in 61 games, but the 23 year-old has also lit the lamp on two occasions against the Ducks this season. On defense, both Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin join forces on the point of the top power-play unit and have been putting up nice offensive numbers this season. Doughty has scored a goal and added ten assists in 12 games since the All-Star break and is a top tier option on the blue-line. However, the Ducks 86.8% penalty kill does put a small dent in his fantasy outlook.
Thanks to a seven game winning streak, the Ducks have can close the Kings lead to just two points with a win tonight. This team has posted a 14-1-1 record over their last 16 games and Bruce Boudreau really has this team trending upwards as playoff time approaches. Captain Ryan Getzlaf scored a goal and an assist against Edmonton on Friday night to extend his scoring streak to ten games. He’s tallied six goals and 15 assists in his last 15 games and scored a goal and added two assists in the first two games against Los Angeles this season. He’s joined by David Perron both at even strength and on the top power-play unit and Perron has taken kindly to his new surroundings; posting six goals and nine assists in 17 games with Anaheim. Corey Perry joins those two on the top power-play unit and remains very dangerous offensively despite his recent four game scoring drought. Cam Fowler and Sami Vatanen share the duties on the point of that very dangerous top power-play unit and are both helping out in the offensive end recently. The matchup is not ideal, but both blue-liners are still very fairly priced and are fine options tonight.
Los Angeles Kings
CF%: 56.4, CP60: 110.8, 5×5 Differential: 5
Elite Options: Anze Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Drew Doughty
Secondary Options: Tyler Toffoli, Milan Lucic, Jake Muzzin
Anaheim Ducks
CF%: 53.3, CP60: 108.1, 5×5 Differential: -8
Elite Options: Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry
Secondary Options: David Perron, Ryan Kesler, Rickard Rakell, Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen
New York Islanders at Edmonton Oilers – 09:30 PM EST
| New York Islanders | Edmonton Oilers | ||||||||
 | Thomas Greiss |  | Cam Talbot | ||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 33-19-7 | 22-34-7 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.81 | 2.42 | 19.60% | 87.30% | Team Stats | 2.37 | 3.02 | 17.40% | 79.90% |
The Islanders have opened up a grueling seven game road-trip with three straight victories and have now posted a 7-1-1 record over their last nine games. They’ll head into Edmonton to take on a free-falling Edmonton team and will likely be very popular targets this evening. After a slow start to the season, John Tavares has finally come to life. The Islander’s Captain has posted seven goals and nine assists in 12 games since the All-Star break and torched the Oilers for a goal and two assists in their first meeting this season making him one of the premier plays of the evening. Alternatively, Kyle Okposo is having another fine offensive season and posted a hat trick (and added an assist for good measure) against the Oilers in that first meeting. He’s joined by the under-rated Frans Nielsen at even strength with both players drawing some playing time alongside John Tavares on the top power-play unit. Nick Leddy has posted two goals and ten assists in his last 16 games and joined in on the Oilers bashing party with three assists of his own in New York’s 8-1 beatdown of Edmonton earlier this month. He quarterbacks the top power-play unit and remains very reasonably priced, making him a terrific defensive option this evening.
The Oilers have lost seven straight games, own the worst record in the NHL, and look to be preparing for a fire-sale before tomorrow’s trade deadline. They’ll face a streaking Islanders team tonight and it’s tough to get too comfortable using them in cash games, especially on sites that penalize for plus/minus. However, each of their top two forward lines oozes offensive talent and can’t be ignored completely. Phenom Connor McDavid has been held off the scoresheet in each of his last two games but has still posted 10 goals and 18 assists in his first 26 games at the NHL level. He’s elevated the play of his linemates Jordan Eberle and Benoit Poiliot and that trio certainly has plenty of GPP appeal. Taylor Hall has cooled off after a hot start to the season (just two goals and three assists in 13 games since the break) but remains a dangerous offensive weapon on the second line alongside Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers are likely shopping blue-liner Justin Schultz to several interested teams, so (if he’s not moved prior to the game) he’s likely set for a heavy workload. His offensive talent is undeniable, but he’s simply been unable to get much production and would likely greatly benefit from a fresh-start somewhere else. With the Islanders owning an NHL best 87.3% penalty kill, you’re likely better off ignoring the Oilers blue-line all together.
New York Islanders
CF%: 50.5, CP60: 111.8, 5×5 Differential: 9
Elite Options: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Nick Leddy
Secondary Options: Frans Nielsen, Anders Lee, Ryan Strome, Johnny Boychuck
Edmonton Oilers
CF%: 48.7, CP60: 109.4, 5×5 Differential: -31
Elite Options: Connor McDavid
Secondary Options: Taylor Hall, Jordan Eberle, Leon Draisaitl, Benoit Pouliot